idk where to post this.. - CD printing

yurtpoh

yurtpoh

New member
after ive recorded, mixed, and mastered a demo album, how can i burn/print the CDs with studio quality?? my computers burner (like most computer cd burners) is low quality and the "bumps" (idk what else to call them) are rougher than a clean studio CD..
 
How do you define "studio quality"? If you're recording, mixing and mastering on your own, and asking this question you can't. It has nothing to do with your CD burner.
 
Duplication / replication house should be able to do short run duplications (ie. burns) for you. However your computer's burner should also be able to burn CDs properly. And WTF are "bumps"..?
 
studio quality is the clean cut "grooves" or whatever. a burned CD has rough edges around the "grooves" from the laser.. but i actually just found the correct term.. studio CDs are pressed, home CDs are burned. it cant be impossible to do on your own.. it probably only costs a bunch of money lol.. are there companies that simply print CDs though?? i would think so.. but i cant find any (though i honestly havent been looking TOO hard.. only spent an hour or so looking)
 
There's no such thing as a "studio" CD. Generally commercially available CDs are "replicated". You can't do this on your own as it takes specialised equipment and knowledge. A replication house will do it for you providing you give them the correctly formatted information, but there are minimum quantities (500 where I am) and it's expensive. And it uses a different type of CD than you get on a spindle at your local supermarket.

Duplication is "burning" and these same companies will also do short run burns for you to a very high standard onto CD-R - I wouldn't be worried about bumps.. but again, you have to know how to get the information into the appropriate format so that it will play in whatever device it's put into.
 
Armistice said:
There's no such thing as a "studio" CD. Generally commercially available CDs are "replicated". You can't do this on your own as it takes specialised equipment and knowledge. A replication house will do it for you providing you give them the correctly formatted information, but there are minimum quantities (500 where I am) and it's expensive. And it uses a different type of CD than you get on a spindle at your local supermarket.

Duplication is "burning" and these same companies will also do short run burns for you to a very high standard onto CD-R - I wouldn't be worried about bumps.. but again, you have to know how to get the information into the appropriate format so that it will play in whatever device it's put into.
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Google "CD duplication" and you should find any number of companies who'll do either for you..
 
Armistice said:
There's no such thing as a "studio" CD. Generally commercially available CDs are "replicated". You can't do this on your own as it takes specialised equipment and knowledge. A replication house will do it for you providing you give them the correctly formatted information, but there are minimum quantities (500 where I am) and it's expensive. And it uses a different type of CD than you get on a spindle at your local supermarket.

Duplication is "burning" and these same companies will also do short run burns for you to a very high standard onto CD-R - I wouldn't be worried about bumps.. but again, you have to know how to get the information into the appropriate format so that it will play in whatever device it's put into.
Click to expand...

this is what i was looking for, thanks.. i didnt know the terms to use, thats why i said "studio cd". all i knew is that professional studios produced better CDs than i can at home.. and by "bumps/grooves" i was talking about the "pits" (another term i just found lol) in the CD that carry the data. i have a picture in my head, i just sometimes have difficulty putting it into words.. im looking at local CD pressing plants right now actually.. ive still got a little ways to go on my recording but i like to have a couple solid plans before i do anything.

again, thanks. this was actually pretty helpful
 
yurtpoh said:
this is what i was looking for, thanks.. i didnt know the terms to use, thats why i said "studio cd". all i knew is that professional studios produced better CDs than i can at home.. and by "bumps/grooves" i was talking about the "pits" (another term i just found lol) in the CD that carry the data. i have a picture in my head, i just sometimes have difficulty putting it into words.. im looking at local CD pressing plants right now actually.. ive still got a little ways to go on my recording but i like to have a couple solid plans before i do anything.

again, thanks. this was actually pretty helpful
Click to expand...

I appreciate that you are looking forward to how to accomplish things in the future, but I must advise that you take the time now to focus on recording and mixing. That will most likely be the most annoying 'pit/bump/groove' you need to control. Even with the cheap CD 'Duplication' places rarely have issues with burning CD's. In my experience anyway. The quality of the material that is 'burned or printed' is no different with either process. The fragility of the disc itself is the issue.

The type (or level) of distribution your product is worthy of paying for, is a different aspect that you really shouldn't worry about until you have the product finished. Just sayin.

Post up some samples in the MP3 Clinic here. :)
 
jimmys69 said:
I appreciate that you are looking forward to how to accomplish things in the future, but I must advise that you take the time now to focus on recording and mixing. That will most likely be the most annoying 'pit/bump/groove' you need to control. Even with the cheap CD 'Duplication' places rarely have issues with burning CD's. In my experience anyway. The quality of the material that is 'burned or printed' is no different with either process. The fragility of the disc itself is the issue.

The type (or level) of distribution your product is worthy of paying for, is a different aspect that you really shouldn't worry about until you have the product finished. Just sayin.

Post up some samples in the MP3 Clinic here. :)
Click to expand...

thanks! yeah i realize i need to focus on recording right now, but right now im just being lazy and reading up on the processes lol. when ive got something to share, ill be sure to post it!
 
Even the replication houses use burners unless you're willing to pay for pressing or doing large runs.

It won't matter.

However it's REALLY tedious to do more than a few dozen discs on your own. Check around and use a service.
 
Yes....they use burners if you want dupes....but they will do proper replication if you pay fot it, and some will even do it for a smaller run.

I think Discmakers will replicate for as few as 300 CDs....under 300 they will dupe.

If you're gigging musician/band, with a decent following, you can unload enough CDs at gigs to cover your costs....that way you at least get thpromotion out of it for free.
 
well i might just do the professional burning first because of cost. i dont wanna get too far ahead of myself right now. im still learning about mastering and other things. still got a ton to read about lol

i appreciate all these replies though
 
yurtpoh said:
well i might just do the professional burning first because of cost. i dont wanna get too far ahead of myself right now. im still learning about mastering and other things. still got a ton to read about lol

i appreciate all these replies though
Click to expand...

one last question. can they put graphics on a burned CD or does it have to be pressed to get graphics??
 
yurtpoh said:
one last question. can they put graphics on a burned CD or does it have to be pressed to get graphics??
Click to expand...

Graphics as in printing a design on the non playing side of the CD? Absolutely. Different printing processes for duplicate / replicate but a quality company will do you a very good job on either.
 
I'm a big fan of the JVC/TY's - But go with the WaterShields -- Nearly waterproof inkjet surface. Sort of a "pearl" silver (they call it "silver" but it's really white-ish). Still, those are "the good stuff" -- Inkjet a normal disc and dip it in water and 95% of the ink will immediately vanish from the surface. And in hot/cold situations where condensation may occur on the surface (in a car...) the printing can just sort of "blotch" over time. Not an issue with the WaterShields.
 
Whenever I finish my album(s) I'm going to a get a handful of CDs made in jewel cases from here.
Kunaki -- CD/DVD manufacturing and publishing service

A few I'll give to friends for no cost, and one I will put on my wall in something like this so I feel like I've done something lol
7x12 Single CD Wall Display Mat and Solid Black 1" Wide Frame CD1WB3 | eBay

As far as selling music goes, I prefer the digital route. It's easier to track your audience (granted you've centralized your sales instead of using something like bandcamp and itunes and amazon and blah blah blah all at the same time), and much less of a hassle (no shipping costs or logistics to worry about).

But yeah. Kunaki and Discmakers are probably your best bet if you're looking to do smaller runs.
 
As kidkage says, Kunaki is a great duplicaiton house - low cost, small volume, they give you all the details about what they need and even send you a free proof copy!
 
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